Apron Overlap, he wants it on the left. Help!

[Arnot]

I tend to with agree with Aspiringloser. These kinds of buckles can connect in slightly different ways, depending on brand and for what they are used. This being the case, some are easier to work than others. They can definitely be operated with one hand. I have use of both of my hands, but I have been in many situations where I could only use one to operate buckles on my gear. These buckles could be used on a traditional kilt as well. Maybe they could be put on the inside like some of the kiltmakers here do with the traditional buckles and then have a nylon strap that could be pulled with the left hand to tighten that side. The male end of the buckle could be attached to the under apron and the female to the kilt where the strap would normally pass through to buckle. After changing the direction of the apron, it seems like this would work for the individual in question.

[crboltz]

When I make contemporary kilts for my friends, I use side release buckles, and webbing as the closures. When I buy the more expensive brand at our local fabric store, I can do them one handed, when I'm cheap, they take two hands and prayer. A hint from experience, before adding the side release buckles, I pin the kilt on the person and mark where they need to line up, because doing it off the person makes me miss the location badly. I've never messed up actual buckles, so I don't know what my mental block is.

Good luck on this interesting construction problem!
Chris

[kc8ufv]

I'd also say just give him what he wants. 99% of the folks out there won't even notice, and if they do, they won't KNOW about left/right kilt apron openings, connotations, etc... And for those who DO know, most won't say anything to him anyway. And for those who DO say something to him... Well, that's for him to deal with if/when the time comes -- not you, the kiltmaker who did her duty and duly informed him what the customs and conventions are...

However, I too share the curiosity. Why insist on an apron that opens opposite?

I doubt people will notice. When I was in HS, my job had uniforms. Due to an incident, I needed a quick replacement shirt. The only ones immediately available at the store that were anywhere close to my size were ladies manager shirts. The only difference between the mens and the ladies manager uniforms were which side they buttoned on, and the men usually wore ties. Nobody noticed that I was wearing a shirt that buttoned on the "wrong" side. Only problem was the difficulty buttoning it because I was used to buttons being on the other side.